holiday

What ‘Level Four’ shutdown status means for your holiday

By 1 month ago
Cornwall - GETTY
Cornwall – GETTY

Boris Johnson has announced new national restrictions before MPs in the House of Commons as the Covid-19 alert level moves back up to Level Four. He will follow this up with a televised address tonight at 8pm. 

Key changes to the rules include a move to table-service only and a 10pm curfew for hospitality venues including restaurants and bars, a return to working from home where possible, a extension of the requirement to wear face coverings, and a change in policy that means Covid-secure guidelines will become legal obligations for retail, leisure and tourism.

For now, he has stopped short of the two-week “circuit break” and it seems the “rule of six” will remain in place for now, meaning you can still go on holiday with another household as long as your group size is no larger than six in England. In Wales, children under the age

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Should you book a winter holiday flight now? Here are 3 reasons to do it, 1 reason to wait

By 2 months ago

In any other year, this would be the time you’d be hastily researching your holiday travel options only to groan at the high cost of airfare before finally taking a deep breath and typing in your credit card number.

But this is 2020. The uncertainty of the new coronavirus pandemic has people wondering what COVID-19 infections will look like in November and December and whether it’s safe to fly to see friends and family, stalling the traditional holiday travel booking routine. 

We don’t know what the pandemic will look like two to three months from now. Will travel advisories and restrictions persist? Or might the virus be contained enough for us to visit the people we love?

Here are three reasons it’s OK to book that holiday ticket now as well as one reason it’s fine to wait a little longer.

Overseas trips: Where can Americans vacation internationally right now?

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How to get insurance for a cruise holiday if you travel against FCO advice

By 2 months ago
zanthe - Getty
zanthe – Getty

British holidaymakers planning a trip overseas are facing more rules than ever before.

The unprecedented blanket quarantine that was enforced for arrivals to the UK on June 8 was usurped by travel corridors on June 29. Now a weekly Government update that leaves tourists on tenterhooks each Thursday evening – will they need to rush back from abroad or self-isolate on their return? – has created fresh uncertainty.

Britons who wish to take a cruise overseas may think it is all but impossible at the moment – especially should you wish to secure insurance for the trip. However, while the options are limited and restrictions complex, it can be done.

To start, most major ocean cruise lines have put sailings on hold, some into 2021. Plus, in the early months of the pandemic, Covid outbreaks on cruise ships stoked controversy. Even as the industry has worked tirelessly

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FTSE 100 dragged lower by travel stocks as more lockdowns kill holiday spirit

By 3 months ago
The beaches are popular tourist hotspots in the holiday season: AFP via Getty Images
The beaches are popular tourist hotspots in the holiday season: AFP via Getty Images

In more normal times, this week should have been the start of the summer holiday season. But with Barcelona among popular locations facing the possibility of a return to lockdown in the next fortnight, there were few signs of getaway optimism today.

Shares in airline, hotel and leisure companies were again squeezed on the London market, with investors increasingly nervous after a surge in coronavirus cases over the weekend.

Low-cost airline easyJet saw its shares fall 2% to 647.4p, while International Airlines Group was down 3% to 212.7p. The pressure on the British Airways owner reflected the increasingly worrying global picture, with Hong Kong this weekend reporting the biggest spike in cases since the start of the pandemic in January.

The flight from risk also meant GKN owner Melrose Industries, which makes parts for Airbus,

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